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Surface conditioning tools?

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Hammer1963

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Jan 2, 2011
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I would like for a good quality cordless model to come to market. I think it would sell fairly well provided it was marketed to the correct audience
 

DGersic

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Mar 12, 2017
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DeKalb, IL
Second question- are the drums 'standard' or does every manufacturer have their own system?

As far as I can tell, they’re all about the same. Some newer ones are a larger diameter, may require doing something to the guard to fit, but are otherwise the same.
 

GeoBruin

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May 5, 2018
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It’s already pretty heavy. Not sure I’d want to add a battery pack to that.

No heavier than a 9 inch grinder, and those are common in battery versions. The thing is, with a surface conditioning tool, the drum is always resting on the surface of something, so it's not like you're supporting the weight of the whole thing all the time.

I have a couple of these and I use them frequently. I also have a bunch of grinders in both corded and cordless versions. Despite corded grinders being generally more powerful and lighter, I still seem to reach for the cordless models first. There's just something convenient about not having a cord to worry about.
 
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American Locomotive

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Jan 8, 2017
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Rhode Island
Does anyone have any "magic" paint removal drums for these things that are better than the HF/Bauer? We have the Bauer, and don't get me wrong, it did a decent job stripping a lot of paint off a project car, but it was still an immensely labor intensive and time consuming job. The HF paint stripping drums seem to have a hard time with base coat - clear coat paint. It took forever for it to burn through all the layers. Fresh 80 grit sandpaper on a sander seemed more effective, but Diablo paper only seems to cut good for about 45 seconds. Maybe this old Toyota paint was just exceptionally tough?

The SCT seems good for small jobs, but if I had to do a whole car again, I think I'm going to chemically strip it.
 

Hammer1963

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It’s already pretty heavy. Not sure I’d want to add a battery pack to that.
I get what you are saying, but it's more of a convenience thing. Not having a cord or air hose might just be the ticket for some jobs. Occasionally I get into some repairs that are really limited on space
 

Beerhippie

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Oct 13, 2023
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Far NE Oregon
I've found the best way to surface condition tools is to throw them into a toolbox in the rig and drive a few hundred miles of dirt backroads.
 

WildBill

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Aug 20, 2021
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Location
PNW
Does anyone have any "magic" paint removal drums for these things that are better than the HF/Bauer? We have the Bauer, and don't get me wrong, it did a decent job stripping a lot of paint off a project car, but it was still an immensely labor intensive and time consuming job. The HF paint stripping drums seem to have a hard time with base coat - clear coat paint. It took forever for it to burn through all the layers. Fresh 80 grit sandpaper on a sander seemed more effective, but Diablo paper only seems to cut good for about 45 seconds. Maybe this old Toyota paint was just exceptionally tough?

The SCT seems good for small jobs, but if I had to do a whole car again, I think I'm going to chemically strip it.
Did you use this one? In my experience it rapidly eats through everything including heavy rust, I use it for stripping cars and trailers. https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-...rum-for-surface-conditioning-tools-70785.html
 

DGersic

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Mar 12, 2017
Messages
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DeKalb, IL
No heavier than a 9 inch grinder, and those are common in battery versions. The thing is, with a surface conditioning tool, the drum is always resting on the surface of something, so it's not like you're supporting the weight of the whole thing all the time.

For a horizontal surface, the weight works with you. For a vertical surface, though, it’s a lot to hold up after a while. Even with the drum on the surface.

I have corded and battery grinders. The battery one is significantly more convenient, despite having less power. Same with the corded and battery circular saws. And drills. So, yeah, I get the convenience part, but my shoulders hurt just thinking about adding more weight to an SCT and using it on a vertical surface.
 
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